I was watching one of the morning news shows and there was a segment about how all of us should be extra careful in leaving our computers on with the webcam exposed.
Yes...exposed webcams are being used by voyeurs (or perverts, if you prefer) to keep an eye on you in the privacy of your home. At the beginning of the story there was an ominous tone that suggested that we were being spied upon in nefarious ways much in the same vein as a crazy neighbor looking into our windows at night. OK, that might be happening, also, who is to say?
There are always two things about this type of reporting that confuses me.
A. Whenever a news program programs offers this type of precautionary news, they hire some "expert" that may or may not gotten his expertise from being a criminal, and then they hire him to do "whatever they are warning us about".
B. The "expert" will proceed to tell us how he did whatever we should be frightened of. This instruction portion of the program is exceedingly handy for the creepy types that hadn't thought of doing it already. Less creative criminals, then can have "ah-ha moments". Can't you just imagine them saying "Sh**, why didn't I think of that?")
So, in this case ....the morning news program's expert hacks into a family's computers with the permission of the husband/dad but doesn't let the mom or two daughters know what is going on. (Hey guys, keep in mind that this man is playing with fire. If mom is caught on camera in less than a camera-ready shot, dad is going to catch hell.)
In this particular report, the first bit of video obtained by hacker-man is the family all sitting around the dinner table eating. Seriously? I am not even sure I believe this is real. Did the dad fess up to his family and they are pretending?? Who eats around the dining room table, anymore?
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| Hacker-man, are you wanting to poke your eyes out yet??? |
The next video sequence is capturing the girls in their bedroom laughing and sitting on their bed. The announcer is telling us that hackers are hoping for private personal moments by using voice inflections that are consistent with telling us the boogie man is going to get us. However, in the actual video being shown, the two clueless teens are chatting up a storm..all happy and sweet to each other. NO WAY!! Two teenage sisters that are laughing and not talking smack. Totally unbelievable.
Anyway, I guess the point of the story is that hackers can log into your computer via spyware and watch you. I am sure that, as we speak, a hacker is seeing how lovely I look in the morning.
BTW...The report tells us that there is a quick and easy fix. If you just can't take the time and the energy to close the lid on your laptop....yes, I know that is horribly inconvenient...put a band-aid over the web camera lens.
Thought Number Two: My Smart Phone is Now Speaking for Me
There was a time in a galaxy far, far away...oh wait, that's not right...let's try this again. There was time a long time ago (relatively speaking) when our phones let us use the words that we chose. Our words were ours to choose and they were audible. (or at least they were supposed to be audible.)
but as most people are painfully, or at least embarrassingly aware, our phones take over some of our thoughts. While the auto-correct has provided us with a few good laughs with it's failed attempts to help us find just the right word...that is now old technology.
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| There going to be payback on that one. |
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| He'll never say "you betcha" again. |
Now there is (supposedly) a phone that doesn't correct what we are saying but "gets to know us" and chooses our words for us.
I was listening to another interview on one of the morning news shows with the CEO of Blackberry, Thorsen Heines, who was touting how intuitive the new Blackberry 10 is. The new phone has the ability to think for you. If you are typing an email, it anticipates what words you need and displays them for you to tap (well, it's more like a slide, I guess) it rather than type it.
Mr Heines said ..."another cool feature, typing an email, it thinks ahead, if you type in look, okay, it immediately gives you a choice in the bottom of the screen, looking and you can thumb it up and like others do, it gives you words you might like to use to complete a sentence. In other words, it's doing the writing for you in some ways. We call this typing without writing.....a fantastic feature..after one week in knows you."
(Sorry for the run-on sentence. This is exactly how the transcript of the program had it. Evidently sentence structure is optional in transcripts.)
So there you have it..you can buy a phone who will get to know you in a week and be able to speak for you. I have known people for years and years and they still don't understand me or anticipate what is going to come out of my mouth.
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43 comments:
Hey, for once a "bandaid solution" that really works, LOL!
Haha...I guess after the bandaid goes on the hacker thinks your house has had a blackout.
I would like a hacker to spy on my teenage boys. I doubt he would make it very long between their farting and their self love in the shower every morning. It would serve him right for even trying.
Unfortunately, I know people who've used the webcam to record within their own home, leaving it on in a room. Seriously. So sad sad. I do have mine covered.
there is an on-going dialogue of technology's positive/neg influences in my family which is rather fierce. I don't want to hand over my free will thinking to a machine, even when it can so obviously make some things easier. I refuse to let it take over my thinking. I don't use auto correct. It is 'I' who uses the machine, it is not the machine who is using me. Who is primary here? Although serious reflection on this post, this was another one of your wonderfully laugh out loud postings, Cheryl. thanks!
Seriously, I AM LAUGHING OUT LOUD. (that lol crap just doesn't cover it) I think the hacker-man or maybe hacker-ms would get what they deserve. Just let them try to us-see that stuff.
Wendy, I love commenters like you. You have a common sense approach to things but see the absurdity as well. You are right, of course that everyone should decide how much or how little of technological impact they want on their lives. I don't want the intrusion but love the convenience. I usually work at a desktop computer with a mega-screen attached. There isn't a webcam on it. My laptop stays closed unless I am using it elsewhere. (traveling or away from my office)
I don't feel the need to have a computer in my bathroom or bedroom so the worst thing the hacker will see is me blowing my nose and reading the morning paper if I happened to be using my laptop.
I am confounded why people would want a phone that would "get to know them" and "anticipate what they are going to say." Heck I don't know what I am going to say next without stopping to think about it.
I'm guess they didn't use that smartphone to write the transcript. The laptop cam - turning it off once in awhile and at night is good green thing to do. Doesn't most cams show a red/green light "on" indicator? Mine is off most all the time. Not sure why I am picking at that story but here's another fact. Most users have their laptop screens tilted for better reading so while my face appears in the shot while I'm using it, the picture would be mostly the ceiling if I walked away. In conclusion I think the only people that need to worry about it are those that film themselves on their beds and those idiots are probably trying to make money from it anyway. Funny how you figured out the report was mostly faked.
Yeah,..the cynic of me just figures the news program is looking to make a "filler" story by creating drama that isn't all that dramatic. If hackers are out in hoards latching onto web cams they probably are seeing a lot of nothing. Ceilings, empty chairs, messy desktops. And you make a great point...if a webcam is aimed at the bed and is on, maybe they weren't to concerned at who is watching.
On my laptop, I think you have to manually turn it on or be on a program like Skype. Either way...no body is going to get a thrill by looking through my web cam.
You are bang on, and so funny! I hate predictive texting, because 1) my phone won't let me type "fucking" without correcting it to "ducking," even when I save the word and 2) after I type "stupid," it comes up with "bitch." WTF! I have NEVER typed that! Sexist, nasty phone.
Seriously??? It is censoring you? Which is really funny when you think about it because smart phones seem to like to insert the word bitch into things.(such as in the case of 'you betcha') It seems it's just specific words that auto-correct has a problem with. Time for auto correct to grow up.
That is soooooo funny! I actually did put a sticker over my laptop's webcam to prevent such occurrences, especially after the first time I went on an online conference thru Skype and didn't realize my webcam was on. I hope I was sitting in a dark enough room not to be very visible because I was not dressed as I would like anyone to see me...
And as for smartphones...I used to say I'd never use a phone for texting. Now I find it hard to get a hold of anyone other than by texting. What the ???!!! Oh well!
Again, I enjoyed your post...have a great week, Cheryl! Click!!! :)
Yet another reason why I don't use my laptop while sitting on the toilet.
Usually.
Now if only they would come up with a phone that not only predicts what I want to type but also smacks me upside the head and suggests text that won't get me in trouble. :-)
I have heard of the spying through you web cam issue before. A friend of mine actually got freaked out by her PS3 cam and turns it around to face the wall or unplugs it when they're not playing games (however if I was a stalker I would much rather watch her and the family doing the So You Think You Can Dance game opposed to doing household chores)
Now phones that can think what you want to say on texting and emails... hmmm... that could get really interesting. I use different "personalities" when I talk to people. Say I'm talking to family, they know me so I'm less censored, but when I'm talking to a customer I'm careful at my word choices... wonder if the phone would understand that or would try sending something a bit too profane to my customers...
Clicks!
--Trina
You sound very wise...and if an emergency arises at least you will have bandaids nearby.
Hi Cheryl,
I don't think a hacker would want to see what goes on here, I mean how interesting could it be to watch me type on my computer? I could see how invasive that is though, many people don't understand that it's important to remember there are bad people out there, weirdoes even, that want to see you in a poor moment. Just be aware and putting a band aide over the camera lens isn't a bad idea.
Wolf
You are clever! That putting something over the webcam never occurred to me. But I really never move my computer off of my office desk unless I am traveling. I am like you though, there are times that I would prefer not to be on camera.
I have the same experience as you. I text more because some people are easier to reach with text. It's a case that at some point with some people you just have to concede to text.
Have a great week as well.
The slapping phone is probably in production as we speak....but surely you never say anything that gets you into trouble.
Riot Kitty made a comment as well that her phone substitutes certain words in auto correct....I wonder if the new Blackberry that supposedly gets to "know us" would get used the the words we use, I, like you, would be using some words with family and friends that I keep under wraps on business calls.
As far as your friend goes, I would of never given a thought to the PS3. ..at least in terms of hackers. I think it would be fun to watch "so you think you can dance". Luckily for the world I haven't a clue how to hack into anything.
If you would face that computer out towards the beautiful scenery that you and Trina are enjoying, I would think we would all want to hack into your web cam. The only way that would happen is if you call me and give me step my step instructions. For now I will settle for the pictures you both post. Safe travels this week.
I have a boring life, but if someone purposefully allowed the camera on for someone to hack, I'd be livid!
Oh you reminded me of an auto correct! I was feeling under the weather, knowing a cold was coming... sent text to my husband about how I was feeling and no kissing him tonight.. what I meant to write was, "I don't want you to get sick." It somehow autocorrected to send him, "I don't want you to get dick." Yeah, you can imagine how much he laughed about that and wrote back, "I don't want to get dick either!" OMG!
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That is hahahahlarious!!!! That is better than any of the ones I saw on line.
Hope you are feeling good. Baby Gregory is due really soon isn't he???
Auto correct pisses me off which is why I don't use it on the phone I have no it has a qwerty keyboard which I prefer.
It's not that I doubt that serious hackers can do some of the things the news shows babble about ... I just doubt that serious hackers are really out to look at average people. And if they hacked into my laptop, they'd be watching me blog ... most boring.
I recently started using the Swype keyboard, not only to text but to comment on posts using my tablet. I have to say, the predictive algorithm works well enough that it's faster than my hunt and peck by a long shot. In my last job before I started my own company, my boss's name was Joe Penisi. What do you think auto-correct did with that? :)
Click,
Bud
well there ya go...I C U, have a fun day
I tolerate auto correct but I am more consistent about checking over my message than I used to be. I recently got a new Garmin that didn't have the qwerty keyboard set. (thank god, it allows you to change the keyboard style in the settings) and I could barely type on the thing.
Aleta...I am still laughing.
That was part of my point as well...I don't think this was a serious threat for the average family even with NBC using the tone that we are all so much at risk. Super hyped up drama to fill 10 minutes on the morning show.
I have a love/hate relationship with the "fill in the word for me" technology. As I am texting or emailing, I seemingly don't mind it putting in the words for me so I don't have to type them but I don't want it to start offering me a lot of choices of words. (which evidently the new Blackberry can do) In the segment, Thorton Heines made it sound like this phone is all but a ghost writer. Come to think of it maybe I do need one.
That is funny about Mr. Penis...oops Penisi. I would have to change my name. My last name starts with a P and is 6 letters. It has been massacred in a number of ways but not quite like that.
thats cute. TTYL
Yet another reason I don't want a damn smart phone. They may render writers obsolete. And as for the webcam spy, Jesus... Have I really lived long enough to see this stuff. Yes. I always close my laptop, but the Band-Aid is going on now. Thanks for the heads up, Cheryl.
If not obsolete...everyone will be a writer (or their smart phone will be anyway). The problem with not wanting a smart phone, is at some point when you have to replace your phone, the new ones will be driving our cars, balancing our checkbook and telling us that we need to wash behind our ears. The people making technology are going to make sure that we become dependent on it.
I had an "assistant" on my smart phone. I fired her. I use swype sometimes and laugh at the words it thinks I wanted. It's easier to use the slide out keyboard.
I do agree with you on both counts. Siri had been bound and gagged. So far the Apple organization has not sent out the troops to rescue her. I used to have a Blackberry with a keyboard before I switched to the Iphone. Much easier to type on a true ..albeit tiny..keyboard. I make do as I don't want to learn yet another phone. Somewhere down the road, I will cross that bridge.
Yeah. Well….. I do NOT believe for one second that just anyone can hack into my computer and watch me on my own webcam, especially when it's turned OFF. But, if they can - I sure feel sorry for them! I am never showered or in clean pajamas.
I don't want or need my phone typing or thinking for me. I have a hard enough time FIXING and undoing autocorrect as it is.
I really believe that morning pseudo-news shows just want to invent some "expose" type of drama. Why would anyone hack into my computer to see me wipe my nose when they could be hacking into some mega bank and getting everyone's charge card info.
I, am ok with an occasional correction on a common misspelled word but when "sick" gets substituted with "dick" as in Aleta's comment that is just wrong...funny as hell but wrong.
What a crock. Any time my webcam needs to be used, it expressly asks me permission. By default it's denied. I highly doubt anyone can just crack in and watch me, but then again I'm a former IT guy so I already have my computer heavily fortified.
Also, good luck watching anything of value. Here's me, with bedhead, staring at a screen for 4 hours. You might occasionally catch me cracking a smile when I see a funny cat picture. Does that give you your jollies, Internet Hacker Man?
Ah ha, I have never thought of spying on people via their webcam. Thanks for the advice.
I swear (no really...I swear a lot) that The Today Show and it's ilk, make this crap up so they have stuff to talk about to fill the 4 hours they are on the air now.
I don't believe for a minute someone in a white van is sitting out on the street trying to hack into my computer to get a look at me in my fluffy pink robe and bunny slippers. If there is, the poor slob is such a loser, he is to be pitied.
Former IT guy, huh? No wonder I haven't been able to hack into your computer.
You can thank NBC's The Today Show. I think they have a tutorial on how to do it. They are super at over-sharing great ideas.
privacy really is so 80's!
Yes, Annmarie...the good old days. Those Brother Word Processors minded their own business.
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